Haven't dealt with fussyness in a while

[Deleted]

I posted this on a thread of Katt's:
This is relativly off topic but since you mentioned hairballs I have a question. Mojito and Kahlua never really had big/giant/frequent hair ball issues and even if they did have a little issue I could give them a bit of oil/vite and problem solved. SoCo wont touch anything that isnt meat and hes been caughing quite a bit lately. His hair is way longer than Mojito and Kahluas so I am a little more worried, plus he wont take vite/oile/pumpkin ooorrr anything that isnt meat. No matter how much I try, he just wont. In a way it makes me proud that he shuns the sugary stuffs but the oil/pumpkin worry me. He has even stopped eatting soupies prepared with them in it. Ideas? Tips? If I have to wrestle him into learning to love one of them- which should it be? I dont want him to get a taste for the unhealthy stuff but, if that will help him more than oils/pumpkin I guess im gonna have to right?

To which Heather responded:
He won't eat pumpkin, oil nothing?? I would strongly suggest that you work with that little one. It's a matter of consistently dabbing it on his nose until you get him to take some or all of the what you want him to take. It may be rough to get him to take it now, but when he's sick and he already hates it...that's going to be one heck of a battle. You can give it by syringe when they're sick but that's one more stressor that you really don't need at the time. You can give it that way and not worry about it. Just be aware and have some sort of plan if you find yourself needing to feed any of these components that you have to be able to get it up a syringe.
ciao

And because I don't want to take over Katt's topic I decided to make a little thread about it I'd just like some particulars. I haven't dealt with fussyness for a while and with SoCo, I've never dealt with it before. I know I am overly protective and paranoid about SoCo.. so this may be a dumb question but: do extra precautions have to be taken because he is waardenburgs? If not cool- but I still haven't had an issue with stubborness in a while. I dab it on his nose a lot but he practically never licks his nose... even after I've put something on it, he just lets it sit there until hes sneezing. I'm thinking I am going to have to take more drastic measures but I'm not sure what to do (he used to get oil and pumpkin in his soupies but he wont take them anymore, with or with out soupie. If its in a soupie, he wont touch it) I don't want to "convince" him into taking to anything that he wont need (i.e. I really dont want him to get a taste for anything with sugar like store bought hair ball remedies, if thats at all possible) So as far as hairball remedies- what is the absolute most needed/number one recommended way to resolve it? I have www.petco.com/product/4347/8-in-1-FerreTone-Skin-And-Coat-Ferret-Food-Supplement.aspx (8-in-1 FerreTone Skin and Coat ferret food supplement) that I give to Kahlua and Mojito and I have used pumpkin/100% organic/natural pureed squash babyfood for them as well... Help? lol

[Deleted]

Personally, I'd go with pumpkin, only because it's saved my fuzz's skin quite a few times with hairballs. I love the stuff It can be hard to find in the off season (I've now got to try the squash baby food, because I can't find a store that carries pure pumpkin now).

As to how to get him used to it - my guys don't lick their noses either (or their paw) when I dab something on it. They just look at me like, "are you *seriously* that stupid?" and then rub it off onto the floor :C I generally am forced to syringe feed them the new item a few times before they take to it.

With pumpkin I syringe-fed Pixie and Yogi (well, Yogi didn't have a choice, since I was treating him for a hairball on advice from a vet as a last ditch effort before surgery. Of course, the pumpkin worked wonderfully), and it got them used to it - to the point where I could mix it with baby food (which they adore) and they'd eat it, even if they still won't take it plain. With Sian and Hiko, they just liked it right away, plain (both hate baby food).

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Aug 10, 2011 15:34:22 GMT -5 @sunnyberra said:

Personally, I'd go with pumpkin, only because it's saved my fuzz's skin quite a few times with hairballs. I love the stuff It can be hard to find in the off season (I've now got to try the squash baby food, because I can't find a store that carries pure pumpkin now).

As to how to get him used to it - my guys don't lick their noses either (or their paw) when I dab something on it. They just look at me like, "are you *seriously* that stupid?" and then rub it off onto the floor :C I generally am forced to syringe feed them the new item a few times before they take to it.

With pumpkin I syringe-fed Pixie and Yogi (well, Yogi didn't have a choice, since I was treating him for a hairball on advice from a vet as a last ditch effort before surgery. Of course, the pumpkin worked wonderfully), and it got them used to it - to the point where I could mix it with baby food (which they adore) and they'd eat it, even if they still won't take it plain. With Sian and Hiko, they just liked it right away, plain (both hate baby food).

Thanks, I was hoping not to have to jump to the syringe right away, I'm gonna hold out to see if anyone else has another suggestion. I mean if I do have to go that route I will and at least I am lucky in that I can get syringes at work for free. (I dont want to use the syringe from Mojito's pred for the pumpkin, lol.)

I must say though, at least ur guys wipe food off on the floor. SoCo acts totally normal, like I did nothing- he continues to play/run around until he gets it in his nose and then starts sneezing like crazy and I inevitably end up worrying that hes going to suffocate himself and do my best to clean it up (sometimes I leave the humidifier on just in case) TTFR went to cut his nails once and put ferrevite on his belly once and he was totally oblivious so she cleaned most of it off and then put oil on him which was equally ignored- he started 'goosing' (he doesnt usually make normal ferret noises, he makes a noise like a goose when hes upset though) it got on his paws though and he just kept on walking like it was nothing so I had to end up washing it off him..

[Deleted]

Mine love pumpkin warm, with some type of meat soup in it (baby food or raw).

[melcab]

I have to mix it with meat babyfood (chicken or turkey, they go crazy for it!) I am using squash babyfood because I haven't been able to find canned pumpkin for months now either. Last time this happened I was told it was because there was too much rain and the crop failed. In case anyone finds themselves in that situation I have found two brands that make a squash babyfood. One is Gerber and it comes in these cute, tiny plastic tubs with resealable lids. Those are 3.5 oz each so not very much. But the other day I found Beech Nut makes a Green Giant Squash and Zucchini in a 6 oz jar. It ended up being about 60 cents cheaper per pound. Ingredients are squash, zucchini and water so it should be fine. Haven't tried it yet because I haven't finished the Gerber tubs, but I don't suspect my guys to have a problem once I mix it with meat babyfood.

As far as the finicky issue I don't have any advice because my guys are willing to try anything. They ate their whole bowl of kidney the first time I gave it to them!

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2011 7:57:46 GMT -5 @melcab said:

I have to mix it with meat babyfood (chicken or turkey, they go crazy for it!) I am using squash babyfood because I haven't been able to find canned pumpkin for months now either. Last time this happened I was told it was because there was too much rain and the crop failed. In case anyone finds themselves in that situation I have found two brands that make a squash babyfood. One is Gerber and it comes in these cute, tiny plastic tubs with resealable lids. Those are 3.5 oz each so not very much. But the other day I found Beech Nut makes a Green Giant Squash and Zucchini in a 6 oz jar. It ended up being about 60 cents cheaper per pound. Ingredients are squash, zucchini and water so it should be fine. Haven't tried it yet because I haven't finished the Gerber tubs, but I don't suspect my guys to have a problem once I mix it with meat babyfood.

As far as the finicky issue I don't have any advice because my guys are willing to try anything. They ate their whole bowl of kidney the first time I gave it to them!

I've used the Beech Nut squash/zucchini for Mojito and Kahlua becasue if I can't find pumpkin, thats all I can find. For what ever reason, they dont seem to sell the natural/organic gerber by us except like applesauce and carrots, lame. When SoCo was a kit, he eat whatever I put infront of him- I got him at 11wks and before I knew I could start him directly on raw, I gave him a goup made of his kibble ground up into a mix of organ meat, meat baby food, pumpkin/squash and a little oil and he would gobble it up. When I found out he could go directly to bone-in-meats at his age, I started him on the regular regimine with soupies being a once a week thing. More and more i've been noticing that he eats less and less of them, the last one I made was all organ meat (his fav) with some egg shell powder, a dolop of squash and a few drops of oil. He wouldnt have it. At all. I have always given it to him RT but maybe I'll give it a shot warm like Jackie said

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Aug 11, 2011 4:33:40 GMT -5 jackie said:

Mine love pumpkin warm, with some type of meat soup in it (baby food or raw).

I've always given it mixed in his soupies at RT so I'll try warm. How do you warm it/how long/how warm?

[crazylady]

Hi if your totally stuck and he wont take it try a finger tip of vasaline stuck on the roof of his mouth the warmth of his mouth will melt it and he has to swallow if you groom him daily ( take away his job ) he has no reason to groom himself and this lowers the risk of hairballs hope this helps take care bye for now
Bev aka crazy lady

[Deleted]

With baby food I just mix it in together with some water & pumpkin (50/50) and heat in the microwave on 5 second bursts until desired temp is reached. With raw I have to be more careful so I don't cook it. I usually use the "reheat" button for raw so it doesn't cook. 5 second bursts

[ttfr]

Nyu is in the same boat as soco. She won't lick anything..hates oil, pumpkin, etc. I'm also wondering if she could be wardenburgs from the blaze coming out on her as I've never seen her play, dook, etc. She just walks around, sniffs, or sleeps.

What I do is put a little vasalene in her mouth since it's flavorless just really odd consistency. Will try pumpkin in the fall.